Bullets and Broken Hearts
by Emrys Is Merlin
Summary: There was a moment of hesitation, of pure clarity where he saw everything in vivid detail. Time slowed down and her eyes were a beautiful green, the cliff reached out into the misty rain and there was a gaping bullet hole in her chest. "Jack." Phryne whispered, her voice laced with a hint of surprise and fear as she fell backwards over the edge.
1. Chapter 1

Dark storm black clouds covered the sky, pouring heavy torrents of rain down upon the Victorian coast. The waves splashed with vigour and determination against the rocks and the sand, white foam spraying everywhere. With no sun visible, the only lights that were provided had to be the circling beam of the lighthouse in the distance and the much smaller and weaker ones of the cars. It was not a choice time to be racing after a murderer but Phryne had insisted that it now or never and Jack had learned to listen to the woman. No matter how much he thought that this was going to be a bad idea.

Phryne's car raced forward out front, leading the way as Jack and Constable Collins followed behind. According to Phryne, there hadn't been enough time to call for any backup so they had jumped out into the thick of the storm just the three of them. Chasing after a giant prison escapee with more than enough strength to kill them all. Not for the first time, he wondered how they were going to win this battle and why it had to be now.

It had started two weeks ago when a young woman was found brutally murdered in a dirty alley among Melbourne's more… prestigious brothels. Beaten and strangled, it was clear that this was just a simple job gone wrong but as usual, Phryne had seen the truth of the situation. It had taken a bit of infuriating convincing and plenty of evidence, but Jack was finally able to see that this was in fact a planned murder and there could possibly be another. Phryne was proven right when another turned up. The count reached four by the time they discovered who it really was and by then, the man had already fled. Thankfully, Phryne knew exactly where she was going but with Dot at home unconscious from a head wound, Jack worried about his partner. She might be bold, strong, talented and beautiful but she wasn't invincible. He seemed to think that sometimes, he was the only one who knew that.

As the lighthouse neared at the edge of a great cliff overlooking the thrashing sea, Jack could just make out a hulking figure lumber out into the storm and begin running in the opposite direction to the cars, trying to get away. Obviously Phryne noticed too as she swung her car ahead of the man, jumped out and pulled her gun on him. Jack stopped the car as well and he and Hugh climbed out, guns and handcuffs at the ready.

"Stop Mister Harrison. The game is over now." Phryne shouted to be heard over the howling wind. The flashing beam of the lighthouse cast an eerie feeling over everything, leaving reaching shadows and constant flashes between yellow light and splashing darkness.

"I will not surrender to a woman!" Harrison yelled, his voice loud, booming and easily heard over the storm. "You are weak. You are nothing against the great minds of men!"

"That's enough, Mister Harrison." Jack called, walking forward slowly. "You murdered four innocent women. You've had your reign and now you're coming back with us."

"No!" Harrison replied and Phryne walked in a circle around him. Jack noticed how dangerously close she was to the edge of the cliff but he understood what she was doing. In a quick moment of observation, Phryne had realised that no matter how much persuading and convincing they tried to do, Harrison would not surrender. Not to them. Not when a women was with them and worked within their midst. Not now. They had to take him by force and Phryne was prepared to be the distraction and the bait. She was going to have some fun and be brave but Jack didn't want her to. This entire situation was too risky. He couldn't lose her.

"Mister Harrison." Phryne started, effectively getting the giant's attention and Hugh and Jack began to creep forward. "Why? Why don't you like women? Why would you kill those girls?"

"There were weak and worthless! Men should rule yet you continue to force yourselves upon us. Begging with your ugly bodies and stupid minds. Men are the great force on earth! Men! You don't deserve to even breathe the same air as us." Harrison sneered.

"Women are important. What about your mother? Your sisters?" Phryne continued. "Didn't you care about them?"

"You know nothing! Nothing about me." He replied, his hands balling into fists. "Shut up! You know nothing."

"Craig Harrison, I know your story. I know why you are like this. I understand and this-" Phryne began but it soon became evident that she said the wrong thing.

"Understand? Understand! You think that you understand, you worthless piece of nothing! You will pay for your insolence." Harrison roared and with a speed that Jack had not thought possible, pulled out a gun and fired.

There was a moment of hesitation, of pure clarity where he saw everything in vivid detail. Time slowed down and her eyes were a beautiful green, the cliff reached out into the misty rain and there was a gaping hole in her chest where Harrison's bullet struck her. Jack froze, his eyes widening in terror as he watched her realise what had happened and look down at her wound. There was silence as she turned her gaze back up to his. "Jack." Phryne whispered, her voice laced with a hint of surprise and fear as she fell backwards over the edge.


	2. Chapter 2

_Everything blurred together, rain, light and sound melded into a roaring torrent of… silence. Except for those few images that appeared occasionally in his blinded vision. The most important ones. The ravishing waters and stone daggers over the side of the cliff. Harrison's golden gun lying uselessly on the ground. Harrison's look of complete anger and triumph. _

_A bloody, unconscious face, broken beneath the pounding of his fists. Hugh yelling at him, his strong arms around him to pull him away. Police cars pulling up on the road to the lighthouse. Phryne's flowing scarf discarded near her car in her haste to catch a killer…_

Jack closed his eyes and swallowed hard to regain his composure, forcing the images and memories away. Tears had begun to well in his eyes at the thought of her but he couldn't afford to cry any more. He settled for letting Dot do so for the both of them. The girl was curled up in Hugh's arms, sobbing uncontrollably and soaking his jacket through but the constable didn't seem to mind, softly stroking her hair.

None of them had been the same since Phryne's death. She wouldn't have wanted it that way but… it was how things came to be those days. She meant an awful lot. She did mean an awful lot.

Craig Harrison was dead after having lost his footing near the edge of the cliff and falling off. His body was found among the rocks, his face damaged beyond compare and his lifeless body now no longer to do any harm. Jack absent mildly rubbed his bandaged knuckles, wincing slightly as he accidentally flexed one of his fingers.

In his broken state, he'd tripped and horribly scraped his hands against a hidden outcrop of rocks on the ground. The cliff had been more life-threatening and dangerous than anyone had been led to believe. That was what Constable Hugh said to his other authorities however when they'd arrived too late. It was their story and too many people were gone that night, not just Harrison and Phryne.

Two weeks had passed since that night and no one was fairing any better. Dot was still crying, Mr Butler looked lost, Mac dove into her work crazily, Hugh was upset and constantly comforted Dot and… Jack?

He'd told Phryne once that when he thought she'd died in that car accident, life became suddenly unbearable. He was so wrong. He'd underestimated it entirely. Life was unimaginable now. He loved her. He always would and it had taken him a bloody long, stupid time to realise it. Now, his opportunity was lost forever. She was gone and she was never coming back. That beautiful, reckless woman.

"Detective? Doctor Macmillian just called. The funeral will begin in an hour. I suggest that you should be moving soon." Mr Butler advised, tentatively walking into the room.

"Thank you Mr Butler. We'll be going shortly." Jack heard himself say and then Hugh looked at him. He could tell that the constable had sensed something in his voice and he couldn't take it anymore. Standing up, he half ran out of the house, unable to bear any of the memories any more. It wasn't fair. None of it was. None of it should have ever happened.

But it did and now they were going to Phryne Fisher's funeral. Jack was a man of few emotions but standing there on the Melbourne street in front of her house, surrounded by everything of her except for her... people walking past would see a devastated man, cursing the skies as tears slowly dripped down to splash on the ground. Just like that night.


End file.
